Fish-In Cycle

[Skittle13]

Tank: 25 litres, filter, heater, 1 betta fish
Water results 0-0.25 (on the green side of yellow) ammonia, 0 nitrites, about 30 nitrate.
(This was before a large water change)
Chemicals used: Prime, filter boast (the bacteria in a bottle), until recently White spot treatment.
API Master test kit used
I have been doing 1-3 50% water changes every day depending on my results to not stress the fish too much.

I started a fish-in cycle about one week and four days ago and my results are confusing me. I have always had quite high ammonia and i tested the tap water to find i had the same result there, so with advice from here i got some Prime and have been adding ever since. The issue is with the fact i never saw the ammonia go above 0.25 (at the most) and even with me hitting the nitrite bottles viciously on the table before testing i have never got anything above 0. Yet i have nitrates already..after about a week with no spiking. I know the Prime and my tap water will effect the results (ammonia wise) but where is my nitrite =/ ?

Any ideas?

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Cycles vary from tank to tank and person to person so not having nitrite after a week and a half is not too unusual. The nitrate is probably from your tap water, have you tested it?

To speed the cycle your tank must be very well oxygenated, either by making sure the filter output agitates the water surface as much as possible or by adding an airstone. Then the temperature should be at about 29C which a betta can handle but you must gradually go to that temperature and not all in one go.

What is the pH of your tank water?

Cycles can take up to two months if not done properly so at a week and a half in you just need a bit of patience and hopefully yours will be much faster.

Oh and what is the filter boost you're using, who makes it?

 

[Skittle13]

Cycles vary from tank to tank and person to person so not having nitrite after a week and a half is not too unusual. The nitrate is probably from your tap water, have you tested it?

To speed the cycle your tank must be very well oxygenated, either by making sure the filter output agitates the water surface as much as possible or by adding an airstone. Then the temperature should be at about 29C which a betta can handle but you must gradually go to that temperature and not all in one go.

What is the pH of your tank water?

Cycles can take up to two months if not done properly so at a week and a half in you just need a bit of patience and hopefully yours will be much faster.

Oh and what is the filter boost you're using, who makes it?

Yeah i am patient i wasn't expecting anything for ages tbh the result just threw me a little haha
Iv'e got the tank well oxygenated but not as high to annoy the betta as i heard they do not like fast currents.

Right now i am trying to heal the betta's fin rot (my aquarium salts will be coming soon) which seems to be getting a little worse and it happened when i raised the temperature for the ich treatment so i am a bit against doing it again =/ But if you think there should not be any problems i will rise it again and maybe it was a coincidence.

The pH right now is about 7.6 but i have seen it around 7.2 at the lowest.

oh the filter boast is this "love fish" one, tbh i feel like i am using it to finish the bottle which i am close to due to all these water changes. I don't really think they do anything?

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Yes Betta's don't like fast flows and that's one more reason I personally prefer fishless cycles as the needs of the occupants often (always) goes agianst the needs of the cycle. I think the fin rot , like the ich, is a consequence of using him to cycle the tank. Bettas just aren't made to go through elevated ammonia levels for long periods. It would certainly help to raise the temperature (not least of all because the ich won't like it) because it will definitely help to speed the cycle and that means less time for the poor guy to be in those toxins.

Keep a regular eye on that pH level. If it starts to get much below 7 then you'll eventually be headed for a ph crash and you'll need to buffer the water to bring it back up. Frequent water changes should avoid that possibility however.

Love Fish is the Pets at Home one isn't it? That's not got the right bacteria to seed a filter, so yes, next to useless. It actually increases ammonia which is just what you don't want right now.

 

[Skittle13]

Yes Betta's don't like fast flows and that's one more reason I personally prefer fishless cycles as the needs of the occupants often (always) goes agianst the needs of the cycle. I think the fin rot , like the ich, is a consequence of using him to cycle the tank. Bettas just aren't made to go through elevated ammonia levels for long periods. It would certainly help to raise the temperature (not least of all because the ich won't like it) because it will definitely help to speed the cycle and that means less time for the poor guy to be in those toxins.

Keep a regular eye on that pH level. If it starts to get much below 7 then you'll eventually be headed for a ph crash and you'll need to buffer the water to bring it back up. Frequent water changes should avoid that possibility however.

Love Fish is the Pets at Home one isn't it? That's not got the right bacteria to seed a filter, so yes, next to useless. It actually increases ammonia which is just what you don't want right now.

Thank you for helping

I didn't know about cycling when i got the tank.. i was under pets at homes instructions and like many people feel across this site a little to late
I would have taken him back but he was being nipped by all the fish and a lot of the fishes were in a bad way (not the ones in his tank/sharing the water with). He had the fin rot before he came to me but yeah i can see he is suffering due to the ammonia levels, as it is not improving, so i have been doing about 3 50% changes a day. I will continue to do this.

I will raise the temperature (i've killed the ick and continued to treat after the symptoms had disappeared so that's behind me now) to help out the guy. I will do this very gradually.

I do a lot of water changes but i will start checking the pH as much as the ammonia, which i do very often.

Good i will throw that stuff away Strange it does say about beneficial bacteria in there to combat ammonia.. a massive swindle for my money haha. Even then i was sure bacteria couldn't survive in a bottle...

do you think i should double up on the dose of Prime?

 

[Rummynose]

You're doing a great job! Doing 3 50% water changes daily is excellent! What could help you out even more is if you could find someone willing to give you some mature filter media (1/3 of theirs won't harm their tank and could instantly cycle your tank). Your LFS probably won't do it, when I've asked mine they looked at me like I'm crazy, maybe the person I spoke with had no clue what I was after anyhow, but if you have a local aquarium fish club or if you go online, something like a Craig's list?

 

[Skittle13]

You're doing a great job! Doing 3 50% water changes daily is excellent! What could help you out even more is if you could find someone willing to give you some mature filter media (1/3 of theirs won't harm their tank and could instantly cycle your tank). Your LFS probably won't do it, when I've asked mine they looked at me like I'm crazy, maybe the person I spoke with had no clue what I was after anyhow, but if you have a local aquarium fish club or if you go online, something like a Craig's list?

Ahh i'll go back to the bristol forum i was on when i was looking for ick medicine but tbh i might find a good local shop, like one of the smaller ones that knows what they are doing as i think there may be a few around here. I will do some more research, but i'll have to do this next week as i am doing shift work right now I am definitely not going back to where i got the fish from to get some filter haha a lot of them were worryingly uninformed D=

 

[Steve H.]

Hi.
I agree with Rummy. You are doing great! The water changes you are doing are helping, and keeping the toxins in the tank down while you are cycling.
This is more than likely why you are testing 0 for nitrites.
When I was cycling I got a reading for ammonia everyday. Even after my water changes....which I was doing 1 50% everyday. But, I only got a nitrite reading on one day of the whole process just before it was cycled.
Sounds like you are on your way because you do have nitrates. Just going to take a little while longer for the bacteria to grow large enough for consumption to equal production.
Hang in there!